'Lipkin' Study Finds No ME/CFS Link to 2 Virus Types: XMRV & pMLV

As of 12:01 AM Eastern Time Sep 18, Columbia University virologist Dr. Ian Lipkin, leader of a high-profile gene analysis study, reported the study has found no evidence of XMRV or pMLV virus types in blood samples of well characterized ME/CFS patients, and thus no link to the disease.

A video of Dr. Lipkin's statements at the official press conference at 10:30 AM is HERE (well worth watching).

The full text article reporting on this research, published by mBIO, is HERE.

A video of Dr. Lipkin's comments on the 12:01 This Week in Virology netcast is HERE.

No mention was made of any testing/test results regarding other types of viruses or other factors, which some had inferred would be included in this study, though Dr. Lipkin has answered the many people asking him if this is the end of CFS research saying, "Nothing could be further from the truth."

"The bottom line is we found no evidence of infection with XMRV and pMLV," Dr. Lipkin said. "These results refute any correlation between these agents and disease." However, he adds, "We are not abandoning the science. The controversy [about XMRV] brought a new focus that will drive efforts to understand CFS/ME and lead to improvements in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of this syndrome." Specifically, "a paradigm" for faster confirmation or rule-out of other suspected viral links to disease in the future.